Conventional methods and apparatuses for displaying large diagrams are known. U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,799, describes a directed graph that is logically zoomed, whereby the appearance of a node directly related to a target node can be exaggerated and the structure of an entire graph can be readily understood. The directed graph is used in which hierarchical nodes are connected by arcs. In the directed graph, a node that has a predetermined logical relationship with a selected node is displayed differently than are the other nodes. For example, a displayed node logically near the selected node is large, while a displayed node logically distant is small, or the node logically near the selected node is moved closer to the selected node.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,218 describes a method and apparatus in which in a separate-window-display map search-and-display unit, where a current position or a cursor position arrives at a predetermined area near the outer circumference of a screen image during cursor-moving map scroll display is performed, a map-display-scale calculation unit calculates a wide-area map on a predetermined scale for displaying the current position and the cursor position on the same screen and a two-point-display map-search display searches for and displays a predetermined map. A separate-frame-window-display detailed-map search-and-display unit displays a current-position-centered detailed map and a cursor-position-centered detailed map in separate-frame windows.
U.S. Patent Application No. 20040261029 describes a method for flexible generation and presentation of diagrams on a computer display consisting of elements and connections between these elements displaying a diagram either partially or in full, allowing multiple occurrences of the same element, allowing redundancy of the same element, using diagram elements with different shapes and functions, displaying an element with all elements it has connections to next to it in a diagram called a Normal Diagram, displaying an element with all elements it has connections from next to it in a diagram called an Inverse Diagram, generating and/or displaying any partial diagram with any element in the diagram as a starting point, displaying arbitrarily complex diagrams in a simplified/collapsed manner, displaying traversing and editing large and complex diagrams easily in a limited amount of space by collapsing and expanding elements, in a Normal Diagram only allowing the Entrance Port(s) of any Shadow A to receive Connection(s) from the Exit Port(s) of one Shadow B at any time while the Exit Port(s) may each connect to the Entrance Pont(s) of zero or many other Shadows, in an Inverse Diagram only allowing the Exit Port(s) of any Shadow A to connect to the Entrance Port(s) of one Shadow B at any time while the Entrance Port(s) may each receive connections from the Exit Port(s) of zero or many other Shadows and displaying Normal—and Inverse diagram at the same time in a 3D diagram.
Therefore, in displaying and viewing large relational diagrams, if connected objects are not within the visible viewing area of a display window, it becomes difficult to identify items or objects that are connected by a connector or a link (relationship) in the relational diagram. If a user desires to view objects that are connected by a connector (link), the user is required to move the scroll bar such that the desired object is shown in the view area. A distinct disadvantage is in the case of relatively large diagrams, where it can be difficult to identify the right connector to navigate/follow in the diagram, etc. This is especially the case when no names or labels are associated with the connector. Therefore a need exists to ameliorate one of more of the above mentioned disadvantages.